On the books I choose, and those that are chosen for me Recent Reads Nov 29, 2025 For years, I have chosen my books from my husband’s admittedly rarefied shelves. It was in his collection that I first discovered the worn-out volumes of Proust that I consumed over my lunch hour at work in myContinue reading “The Payoff at the End”
Author Archives: bauerjandp
Bells are Ringing
Back to BasicsRecent Reads Oct 27, 2025 I can’t tell you how happy I am that our new Director of Music has reinstituted the handbell choir at our parish! As you may remember, I was crushed when our former director took a new job last spring, prematurely ending our season. And while some of us made theContinue reading “Bells are Ringing”
It’s a Secret
Why I can’t tell you what I’m reading this month Recent Reads Sep 29, 2025 Okay, I can tell you some of what I’ve been reading this past month or so: Brant Pitre’s Jesus and the Jewish Roots of Mary, for a wonderful explication of the ways Mary fulfills the types and patterns of the Old Testament, always pointingContinue reading “It’s a Secret”
A Power Made Perfect in Weakness
The Song at the Scaffold and Little Souls Recent Reads Aug 29, 2025 Sometimes, everything I happen to read—novels, essays, and spiritual books—seems to coalesce around a particular theme. In a matter of weeks, I encountered the Carmelites of Compiègne, who were martyred during the Reign of Terror, in three different places. In his do-it-yourselfContinue reading “A Power Made Perfect in Weakness”
For Book Clubs
Discussion Questions for The Bicycle Messenger Recent Reads Aug 15, 2025 Please pray for all those who have been impacted by flash flooding in southeastern Wisconsin and for everyone involved in the recovery effort. We had a wonderful time launching The Bicycle Messenger at the Village Cheese Shop here in Wauwatosa on August 3. If you’ve foundContinue reading “For Book Clubs”
On Baptism and Cultural Memory
One more sneak peek at The Bicycle Messenger Recent Reads Aug 01, 2025 It’s almost here! The Bicycle Messenger releases in just a few days! I can’t wait to share it with you. In the meantime, here are three takes on baptism in the story. A few words on the Catholic Church in the Nazi Era InContinue reading “On Baptism and Cultural Memory”
The Bicycle Messenger on Location
Dog-sitting and old haunts Recent Reads Jul 18, 2025 The Neptune Gate at Milwaukee’s Villa Terrace A very dear friend asked me to dog-sit while she helped her daughter move to a new city post-graduation. Archie is an intelligent poodle/Australian shepherd mix with one blue eye and one brown, and he goes into raptures wheneverContinue reading “The Bicycle Messenger on Location”
Welcome The Stranger
Which of the corporal works of mercy most attracts you? Recent Reads Jul 05, 2025 Early in The Bicycle Messenger, Mary Ellen and Charles Hawley learn of the existence of a young relative in need of a home. Seven-year-old Steven has just lost his father to cancer; and according to the silk-stocking attorney who serves asContinue reading “Welcome The Stranger”
Righteous Among the Nations
A real-life hero appears in The Bicycle Messenger Recent Reads Jun 20, 2025 Tadeusz Pankiewicz (photo: Wikipedia Commons) The Nazis established the Kraków ghetto in Poland in the district of Podgórze in March of 1941, initially cramming some 15,000 people into an area meant to house about 3,000. The previous residents of the district were evicted and givenContinue reading “Righteous Among the Nations”
It’s Almost Here!
On the long wait Recent Reads Jun 06, 2025 My debut novel, The Bicycle Messenger, releases at the beginning of August! You can preorder the book here to read the first chapter. In the meantime, take another look at this gorgeous cover art designed by the talented Roseanna White: The book crosses decades and continents. In the 1970s, CharlesContinue reading “It’s Almost Here!”
Joan Elizabeth Bauer 